Failing a moral test

When the Labour Party adopted a new code of conduct on anti-semitism, it omitted certain examples provided by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). They all related to Israel and included comparing Israeli policy to the Nazis. It now turns out that, in 2010, Jeremy Corbyn hosted an event that was part of a UK tour called “Never Again for Anyone – Auschwitz to Gaza”. One of the speakers, a Jewish survivor of Auschwitz, repeatedly compared Israeli actions in Gaza to mass exterminations by the Nazis. Mr Corbyn has said he does not agree with those views and has apologised for any hurt caused.

This gets to the heart of why Labour won’t fully crack down on its anti-semitism problem: if it did, it would have to drive out many anti-israeli obsessives in its ranks, including those for whom criticism of Israel is code for criticism of the Jewish people. Anti-semitism has taken many forms, from the religious to the biological. One of its present appearances is a fevered, conspiracy-minded view of Israel that sees the state behind everything bad that happens in the world, and its interests guarded by a shadowy lobby.

Another IHRA example of anti-semitism is claiming that Israel’s existence is a racist endeavour. Such language is all too common on the hard Left with which Mr Corbyn has a proud and long association, raising a question mark over whether or not the Labour leader, by the IHRA’S definitions, has himself crossed a line. What will moderate MPS make of this? As the scandal deepens, it becomes harder and harder to justify a lack of action – and more obvious that the real source of the problem is Mr Corbyn himself. At present, Labour is miserably failing this profound moral test.